President Costa to attend 81st UNGA High-Level Week in New York
Today, more than ever, we must stand together to uphold a rules-based international order and rebuild trust in global governance. No country, however powerful, can meet today’s challenges alone. Cooperation is not an act of idealism - it is a necessity and a matter of survival.
The EU will remain a predictable and reliable partner for the United Nations and we are committed to its modernisation.
António Costa, President of the European Council
General Assembly
President Costa will address the UN General Assembly on behalf of the EU on 24 September.
He will reaffirm EU’s support to an effective, inclusive and rules-based multilateral system, firmly rooted in the UN Charter and international law.
- EU priorities at the UN (background information)
- EU cooperation with the United Nations (background information)
Partners for Multilateralism Summit
The summit, co-hosted by President Costa together with the President of Kenya, William Ruto, and the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, will aim to defend and strengthen the multilateral system, promote peace and inclusive prosperity by fostering a debate at the highest political level.
Other events in the margins of UNGA
In addition to his remarks at the General Assembly on behalf of the EU, President Costa will take part in the event The Road Ahead: One Year after the New York Declaration and the Comprehensive 20-point Peace Plan for Gaza on 22 September. The president will also participate in the Sixth Summit of the International Crimea Platform and in the High-Level Side event on OceanEye International Alliance on 23 September.
President Costa will also participate in the traditional EU-UN principals meeting and the EU-UN-African Union trilateral and will take part in a series of side events and bilateral meetings. For the full list of events in which the President will participate, see announcements and updates:
Media opportunities
21 September 2026
19:45 ET / 01:45 CEST (Brussels, 22 September) Press conference following the P4M summit (UN stake out area, livestream)
24 September 2026
TTBC President’s address to the General Assembly (livestream)
Background
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly opened on 8 September 2026. The first day of the high-level general debate will be Tuesday 22 September, under the main theme ‘Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all’.
Following the adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution in May 2011, the EU has been given one of the first opportunities to speak among other major groups and can be represented by the EU’s external representatives.
The President of the European Council addresses each year the General Assembly on behalf of the EU.